Emperor on the War Path With the invading Team Emperor and its Evo Army humiliating racers all over Gunma, it's up to Take and the Phantom Eight Six to defend the racing honor of not only his hometown of Akina, but the entire prefecture. But when Team Emperor's "Hawk" Iwaki pulls Lancer Evo IV ahead of the Eight Six, not even Tak's most loyal teammates believe he can win. Maybe he'll finally learn that lesson his father thinks he needs. Can Tak pull off his biggest miracle yet? Meanwhile, as Tak's relationship with Natalie heats up, will he discover her shocking secret?
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Shuichi Shigeno (Japanese author profile: しげの秀一) is a manga artist, best known for the manga series Initial D. Shigeno has also created Bari Bari Densetsu, Dopkan, and Tunnel Nuketara Sky Blue ("First Love in Summer") all prior to the manga that would make him famous in 1995. In 1985, he received the Kodansha Manga Award in shōnen for Bari Bari Densetsu.
November 2023 Kindle edition KU manga Volumes 8-11
This is where it starts getting tricky. Things started heating up so I read 8 to 11 in quick succession. They've kinda blurred into one for me. Tak finds out the truth about Natalie, probably from a pissed off wife and takes on a race with the evo he initially turned down, only to blow the engine, exactly what Bunta was waiting for. I didn't feel any sympathy for Natalie when he snapped at her. Cheating. Nope. There had to be something to throw Tak off his game though for the story to progress. I like that the racers didn't have the match as valid and still showed their support. It felt like the only one that understood his temperament was Ry, even Iggy was blind to the truth. I might actually see this one through to the end. The long recaps at the beginning help.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The story between Tak and Nat carry this volume, the race at the beginning was meh, then Tak just saying he’s done with his track in the most child like way was dumb. But finally closure on Natalie, didn’t expect she was a sex worker, thought she was dating some rich college kid. She loves Tak and the gas station scene was nice. Kind of hope the racing takes a back seat for a bit while they try to focus on the making of this relationship.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This volume shows the progression of a relationship. From identifying someone, to learning that you enjoy spending time with them, to wanting to know more about them, this issue is everything.